Members of the Buchanan County Board of Supervisors met during a special called meeting on Friday, July 10 and voted unanimously to remove Tim O’Quinn from the Buchanan County Industrial Development Authority Board. Pictured, from left, are Prater Supervisor David Rose, Board Chairman and Hurricane Supervisor Tim Hess, Garden Supervisor Jeff Cooper, South Grundy Supervisor Roger Rife, North Grundy Supervisor Lee Dotson and Knox Supervisor Trey Adkins. Rocklick Supervisor Craig Stiltner attended the meeting remotely by Zoom.
A unanimous vote by the Buchanan County Board of Supervisors to remove Industrial Development Authority Chairman Tim O’Quinn from the IDA board has ignited a public dispute over transparency, economic development and the handling of taxpayer funds.
During a special called meeting Friday, July 10, the Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to remove O’Quinn from the Buchanan County Industrial Development Authority Board. North Grundy Supervisor Lee Dotson made the motion, which Knox Supervisor Trey Adkins seconded before the board approved it. Rocklick Supervisor Craig Stiltner participated in the meeting by Zoom.
Former Buchanan County Industrial Development Authority Chairman Tim O’Quinn was unanimously removed from the IDA Board by the Buchanan County Board of Supervisors during a special-called meeting on Friday, July 10. O’Quinn later released a public statement criticizing the decision and pledging to continue seeking answers regarding county government spending and transparency.
No public discussion was held before the vote.
Within hours of his removal, O’Quinn released a lengthy statement on social media accusing county officials of removing him for asking questions about public spending and oversight.
“They removed me from the IDA for asking too many questions,” O’Quinn wrote. “Now I’m going to ask even more.”
O’Quinn said he refused to “rubber-stamp” requests involving millions of dollars in public funding connected to the Appalachian School of Law, arguing that additional review was necessary before taxpayer money was committed.
“Here’s the truth: the Board of Supervisors wanted the County IDA to hand over millions of dollars to the Appalachian School of Law, no questions asked,” O’Quinn wrote. “No due diligence, no feasibility study, nothing. Just write the check and look the other way.”
O’Quinn emphasized that he supports the Appalachian School of Law and its proposed merger with the University of Pikeville but believes any public investment should be handled with transparency and accountability.
“I believe in the potential of ASL and the benefits it can bring to our community,” he wrote. “But I also believe we have a duty to be transparent about how we’re spending taxpayer money.”
O’Quinn further alleged that after the county IDA sought additional due diligence, county officials instead pursued funding through the Town of Grundy Industrial Development Authority. He also claimed former Buchanan County IDA Executive Director Matt Fields left his position after disagreements over transparency.
In addition, O’Quinn questioned other county matters, including operations involving the Buchanan County Public Service Authority, saying public officials should welcome scrutiny over taxpayer spending.
“These aren’t accusations,” O’Quinn wrote. “They’re just basic questions that any steward of public funds should be asking.”
O’Quinn also announced that he has filed a Freedom of Information Act request seeking records involving bids, board minutes and other documents related to the issues he raised.
“If everything was done properly,” he wrote, “there should be nothing to hide.”
He concluded his statement by pledging to continue seeking answers despite his removal.
“They can take away my seat,” O’Quinn wrote. “But they can’t take away your right to know how your money is being spent.”
Knox Supervisor Trey Adkins addresses the Buchanan County Board of Supervisors during Friday’s special-called meeting, at which the board unanimously voted to remove Tim O’Quinn from the Buchanan County Industrial Development Authority Board. Adkins later disputed O’Quinn’s claims surrounding the removal, saying the decision was based on actions taken while serving as IDA chairman.
After O’Quinn accused county officials of removing him for demanding transparency, Adkins forcefully rejected those claims via social media, saying the decision had nothing to do with asking questions and everything to do with how O’Quinn conducted IDA business.
“You didn’t get removed today because you didn’t sign the money over to the law school,” Adkins said. “That’s been months ago.”
Instead, Adkins alleged O’Quinn exceeded his authority as IDA chairman by making decisions that the full board should have approved during a public meeting. He accused O’Quinn of hiring legal counsel and authorizing a $10,000 payment without a formal vote of the IDA board.
According to Adkins, both County Attorney Lee Moise and he warned O’Quinn against hiring Tazewell County attorney Flux Neo after learning the attorney was facing disciplinary issues with the Virginia State Bar.
“I didn’t tell him to stop digging,” Adkins said, responding directly to O’Quinn’s social media post. “I told him to pick a different lawyer. Period.”
Adkins further alleged that O’Quinn signed a contract and issued a $10,000 check without the IDA board’s approval.
“Not one time did any other board member get to vote specifically on Flux Neo and paying him $10,000,” Adkins said. “There was never a meeting on it. There’s no minutes on it.”
Adkins also claimed the IDA ultimately filed a complaint with the Virginia State Bar regarding the attorney and alleged efforts to recover the money paid have been unsuccessful. Those claims have not been verified by the Mountaineer.
He disputed O’Quinn’s portrayal of himself as someone removed simply for asking questions.
“What you did was when Matt (Fields) wouldn’t come down when subpoenaed to the Board of Supervisors meeting to answer questions about things he was doing at work, he resigned,” Adkins said. “You thought it was a good idea to try to sneak a vote in” to continue paying the former executive director after his resignation.
Adkins also accused O’Quinn of attempting to secure two consecutive $10,000 raises for former IDA Executive Director Matt Fields, and later of trying to hire Fields as a grant writer after Fields resigned. Those allegations also remain unverified.
He denied O’Quinn’s suggestion that county officials have concealed information from the public, arguing that records are available through Virginia’s Freedom of Information Act.
“Everything that me or you are saying can be dug up in public records through a FOIA request,” Adkins said.
Adkins went on to say he intends to refer information involving O’Quinn’s actions to the Buchanan County Commonwealth’s Attorney for review and believes additional information regarding the dispute will become public.
“We’re going to keep digging,” Adkins said. “You’re @$$ is getting turned over to the Commonwealth Attorney. She’ll have to appoint a special prosecutor, and they’ll deal with you.”
O’Quinn, meanwhile, maintains his removal stemmed from his insistence on greater transparency regarding public spending and says he has filed a Freedom of Information Act request seeking records involving the law school funding, the IDA and other county matters.
As of press time, no criminal charges had been filed, and none of the allegations made by either side had been adjudicated in court.
